Illinois legislators are considering making it easier for transgender people to change the gender designation on their birth certificates.

The law already allows the change, but only if people submit medical records showing they’ve had sex reassignment surgery. Democratic state Representative Greg Harris, from Chicago, says that’s outdated. He wants to drop the surgery requirement.

Credit torbakhopper / Flickr/Creative Commons

“This change would bring the State of Illinois into compliance with several dozen other states who have done this, but more importantly this would have the same standards as the federal government.”

The measure was approved in committee and now goes before the full House. If it becomes law, Illinois would be one of 14 states to make the change.

Illinois lawmakers are moving to make it easier for transgender individuals to change the gender marker on a fundamental document: their birth certificates. Democrats on a House committee approved the legislation Tuesday on a partisan vote of 8 to 6.

Alexandria Dinardo, who was born and raised in Springfield, was born male; that's what Dinardo's birth certificate still says.